RPGboot FAQ

So, after making FAQs for the A Thing series, I feel like it's time to make a FAQ for RPGboot.

Back in 2008, I decided to make the Teh Forum RPGs. They were terrible, and I was ashamed of them.
So, at the end of 2010, I created the Teh Forum RPG [Reboot], or "RPGboot". It was A LOT better. As I wrote more and more, I got better at writing.*
*This, of course, disregards the bullshit choose-your-own adventures. RPGboot 7 is also suspect.
Once I got more confident about my writing,  I decided to rewrite the originals, making the RPGmakes. I wish I'd waited a bit to make RPGmake 1, as it has the "explaining the canon" shit that is just poor writing. (2017 edit: this is why i've created a revised version)
Once I got A LOT better at writing, I decided to rewrite the reboot, making the RPGmasters. These are what I'd consider the "good" RPGboots.

Canon order is simple:
RPGmaster 1 -> RPGmake 1-4 -> RPGmaster 2-8 -> RPGboot 9-current
As I get through more RPGmasters, they will replace that respective RPGboot. RPGboot 7 is kind of terrible, though, so don't expect that anytime soon. the day after i write that i finish it, of course

Everything except RPGboot 5, RPGmaster 5, RPGboot 15, RPGmake 4, RPGboot 16, and RPGboot 17 take place in Alabama.
RPGmake 4 obviously takes place in Heaven, Hell, and Limbo.
RPGboots 16 and 17 take place in Subspace.
The other three take place in the Obnoxious Celtic Country.




WHICH RPGBOOTS ARE WORTH READING?

The RPGboot series is best read in this order, as of right now:

RPGmaster 1 AND/OR RPGmaster 1 [Revised]
RPGmaster 2
RPGmaster 2 Alternate Campaign
RPGmaster 3
RPGmaster 4
RPGmaster 5
RPGmaster 6
RPGmaster 7
RPGmaster 8

RPGboot 10
RPGboot 11
RPGboot 12
RPGboot 13
RPGboot 14
RPGboot 15
RPGboot 16
RPGboot 17
RPGboot 18

RPGmake 1 [Revised]
RPGmake 1 [Revised] [The Queen's English Version]
RPGmake 1 [Revised] [Fan Translation]
RPGmake 2 AND/OR RPGmake 2 [Revised]
RPGmake 3




The A Thing series is a strange animal
A Thing itself is fucking terrible (had no idea what the fuck I was doing)
Another Thing starts the "not completely ashamed of this" era (started to find the series' footing, differentiating it from SAS)
The Next Big Thing starts the "pre-pre-modern" era (footing found, refinement needed)
One Thing Leads to Another starts the "pre-modern" era (famous people start to exit)
Something to Talk About starts the MODERN era (all famous people removed, Robert Truckdriver clones removed; relies entirely on MY characters instead of stealing from others)


The Gaidens are just whatever, whenever. The only important ones to the "plot" are 2, 6, King Bran Kart Racing, 12, 14, 16, and 17. Re-reading them, only 11, 18, and 20 aren't very good.
Then after you're familiar with the way A Thing does uh things, read this one:
RPGmaster 4 Alternate Campaign








NOTES ABOUT SPECIFIC RPGBOOTS:

RPGboot 4 was dumb. If I could go back, I'd definitely end it after the Adam Lambert campaign.
I thought it would be HILARIOUS if the day RPGboot 4 ended, RPGboot 5, 6, and 7 all came out, and RPGboot 8 was started as the same shit. Fuck you, past me. RPGboot 7 is rushed and awful. I will admit that RPGboot 5 was the best thing I'd written to that point, however.


RPGboot 10 was where I wanted to do something different, or at least make new sections to copy/paste. Honestly, I'd say that it marks the point where my writing became ""good"". A Thing is the exception, as it was unfocused and I had no idea what I was doing. It was a learning experience more than anything.


At first, I had no idea how to make RPGmaster 4. My first idea was just remastering the Adam Lambert portion, but I decided against it. I'm really glad that I came up with the idea I did, as it represents RPGboot 4 pretty well without going on forever.
The alternate campaign, however, was dumb as shit, in a good(?) way. In the A Thing series, I started writing more about fictional waifus than anything, so I decided to redo RPGmaster 4 with this approach. (sorry that i couldn't fit erin in but there were no mysteries!!!)
The only other thing to note is that chaptour four was originally supposed to be Valerie in a coffee shop, but I couldn't write an entire chaptour so I went political.

original chaptour four:

RPGmaster 2's alternate campaign was conceived and written in the same day. It's dumb, but that's why I like it.


RPGmaster 5 is LEGITIMATELY the BEST THING I HAVE EVER WRITTEN. I love it more than anything else I've EVER done.
RPGboot 15 returned to the world of RPGboot/master 5, and I think it worked REALLY well. I don't want to go back there often, because I don't want to cheapen what makes 5 and 15 special. Look forward to RPGboot 25, though.


RPGmake 4 had been sitting on my Goddamn computer for YEARS AND YEARS AND FUCKING YEARS
I finally said FUCK IT and finished it. I'm not especially proud of it, but it's out, it's done, and RPGmakes are done with it (until I decide to remaster RPGmake). It's one less thing cluttering my wordpad menu.


RPGboot 14 ended with Jakey and Eif getting into Smash Bros., so 16 is those two, Bran, and Taylor in the world of Smash Bros., doing as they do.


RPGmaster 1 [Revised] was uh
Well, it got away from me. There was so much shit in the original that I felt had to be completely changed, and some of it ended up getting pretty weird and not feeling like an RPGboot 1 re-rewrite at all. That's why the list of RPGs to read has both RPGmaster 1 and the revision.


RPGmaster 8 was just written to get it done
What the fuck ever
Disregard that, I love RPGmaster 8


RPGboot 17 was high-concept, but after 16 took so long, I really shouldn't have chosen this for 17, and I DEFINITELY shouldn't have said it would come out this year in the New Year's special.
It's okay but it's not even close to my favourite.


After I made The Queen's English version of RPGmake, I wanted to make a bunch of them for different accents and dialects, but this idea was quickly abandoned. However, two years later, I was playing Judgement, and got the sickest keikaku for a weebified version, making fun of bad fan translations that leave too many of the words untranslated.


RPGboot 18 marks a format change. I decided to do away with the fucking HARLEQUIN FOETUS KNIGHT shit because it's retarded and I've grown to hate it.